Johnny Walker ended a skid of two straight knockout losses with a shocking knockout win over Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang at UFC Fight Night in Shanghai. The 33-year-old Brazilian’s second-round TKO victory marked his first win in 12 fights, ending Zhang’s 12-fight winning streak.
Walker came out swinging in the second round, using kicks to the calf to take down the heavily favored Zhang. A solid kick and a follow-up strike that collapsed Zhang left him defenseless on the ground, where Walker finished with ground-and-pound strikes at 2:37 of the round.
Despite being unranked by ESPN, Walker is ranked No. 13 in the official UFC rankings. The victory moved him up one spot behind Zhang, who now sits at No. 14.
The co-main event saw Aljamain Sterling dominate Brian Ortega to win a unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) at a catchweight bout. Sterling, the former bantamweight champion, showed his speed and skill to outmaneuver the struggling Ortega. The victory marked Sterling’s second win in three fights, while Ortega suffered his fifth loss in seven.
The night also saw No. 6 Sergei Pavlovich defeat ninth-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta by decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) to move eight wins in 10 fights.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/46056110/johnny-walker-upsets-zhang-mingyang-ufc-fight-night-shanghai